Occupy Albany protesters turn attention to one-time ally

A week after the city of Albany chose not to enforce a curfew on a park taken over by Occupy Albany, the protesters have turned their sights on the city’s mayor.

Gas-drilling protesters will march from the park—located across the street from the state Capitol—to Albany City Hall at 4:30 p.m. to speak out against Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings’ veto of a ban on hydrofracking within city limits. (It’s a short march; the park also sits directly across the street from City Hall.)

Albany Police have yet to kick anyone out of the park after the 11 p.m. curfew, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo said this week that the state would “enforce the law” and evict anyone staying in the state-owned portion. (The park is split in two by an invisible line, with half owned by the city and half by the state.)

It’s not clear if the hydrofracking march is officially being endorsed by the leaderless Occupy Albany movement as a whole, or if only certain members are planning on participating. The press release was sent out by the Albany branch of Frack Action, an Ulster County-based anti-hydrofracking group.